There are a lot of good causes to give to. As fundraising experts, we know that you want to make sure your money—whether it comes from your pocket or your foundation—will be put to good use. So let’s answer the question, how are donations to EarthShare of Texas put to use?
First, what is EarthShare of Texas?
EarthShare of Texas is not a typical nonprofit. We hold the standard 501(c)(3) nonprofit tax status, but we consist of a federation of 38 nonprofits that specialize in different areas of environmentalism and conservation.
If you visit the EarthShare of Texas office you’ll find a small team of campaign managers, event planners, and marketers. Our primary focus is to fundraise for and empower our nonprofit members who are the real experts at environmental work. Our role is to support them with consistent funding and open the space for environmental leaders to network and collaborate, strengthening the impact of our network as a whole.
What environmental causes are supported by EarthShare of Texas?
When a donation comes into EarthShare of Texas, it is distributed among our nonprofit members and supports the collective impact of their missions. Since there are so many different causes represented among our membership, this means that a donation to EarthShare of Texas supports many environmental and conservation causes at once.
We have members that work on connecting children with nature, conserving bat habitats, preserving natural waterways, planting trees, giving low-income households access to solar energy, and so much more. You can explore all of our current members here.
The benefit to giving to EarthShare of Texas is that you don’t have to choose one environmental cause over another. Your donation goes to supporting a better Texas environment, based on local organizations finding local solutions.
Overall, this model allows our nonprofit members to concentrate on the work that makes a difference and leave the fundraising to us. They don’t have to compete with one another for donations and can specialize in areas where they are needed most rather than do work that has wide appeal for donations.
How does EarthShare of Texas ensure donations are used well?
One of EarthShare of Texas’ key values is financial stewardship. To ensure that our members use donations for meaningful change, we annually vet our member’s finances and impact. All of our members must meet the industry-wide standard that no more than 25% of funds can be used on operations and fundraising combined, and we are fully transparent with our financial information.
To become a member, EarthShare of Texas evaluates a prospective member’s finances, impact, and whether they serve a community need not already addressed by the collective nonprofit membership. Once approved by staff, the current nonprofit member organizations vote to determine if the prospective member can be admitted into the federation.
Through these policies, checks, and balances, donors can feel confident that their funds are being put to use by the best environmental organizations in Texas. Even better, all of this is validated by our 4-Star rating from Charity Navigator.
